Basket-style carriers are commonly employed to package beverage bottles. They include a separate cell for each bottle, from which the bottles can be readily removed, and a center handle partition for easily carrying the package. The carriers are fabricated from a blank which is folded and glued into collapsed carrier form, after which the collapsed carrier is erected and the bottles inserted. In one design the bottom panel is integrally formed so that when the collapsed carrier is erected the bottles are inserted down onto the bottom panel through the open cells. In another design the bottom panel is formed by connecting bottom panel flaps after the bottles have been inserted into the cells. To insert the bottles into the cells in this latter design the collapsed carrier must not only be opened, but must be maintained open until the bottles are inserted far enough into the carrier to hold the carrier open. Normally, packaging machine elements are made to initially maintain the carrier in open condition until the bottles are inserted to this point. This complicates the design of the packaging machine, however, and can be a limitation on the speed of the machine.
It would be highly desirable to be able to maintain the erected carrier in open condition by means other than packaging machine elements without complicating the carrier design or making it more expensive.